Premier hoses down fire funds row, as victim identified

A state premier has defended her government's resourcing for emergency services before bushfires ripped across the state, as the identity of the sole victim of the fires so far has been revealed.

Twelve major bushfires continue to rage across Victoria after summer heatwaves spurred out-of-control blazes that destroyed homes, killed livestock and led to at least one death.

The body of a man, who The Age newspaper has identified as cattle farmer Maxwell Hobson, was discovered near a car along a fire-affected road a Gobur, a remote area east of Seymour on Sunday.

"A car was found that had run off the road and that gentleman was found around 100 metres from that car. It was in the fire landscape," Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters on Monday.

More than 350 structures including about 100 homes have been lost and up to 1000 agricultural properties damaged.

Ms Allan on Monday visited Natimuk, where about 30 homes were destroyed, to announce emergency assistance payments of up to $52,250 for uninsured households to re-establish their principal place of residence.

A Victorian bushfire appeal will open online from Tuesday for public donations.

"Every dollar will go to where it is needed," the premier said.

She disputed claims of underfunding for the Country Fire Authority ahead of the bushfire season, saying her government had invested an additional $80 million for fire preparedness in November.

"To suggest that there's been anything other than an increase to the funding for the CFA is just incorrect," Ms Allan said.

CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the budget for the service this year was $20 million more than last year.

He said "quite a number" of complained-about appliances had been removed and 167 new trucks were on order or in production.

The fire threat has eased from the Longwood fire in central Victoria, with cooler temperatures and lighter winds aiding efforts to bring it under control.

But two emergency warnings remain for blazes near Walwa, in the state's northeast, and close to the Otways, in the southwest.

"Whilst the conditions are easing in some parts of the state, even the slightest of winds are still causing those fires to move around," Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said.

Authorities expect gusty northwest winds and hot weather to return towards the end of the week.

Mr Heffernan warned against complacency, with another "heating event" expected towards the end of January.

"Much work will be done between now and then to contain these fires," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to first responders and volunteers who risked their lives and homes to help others during a time of disaster.

"At the worst of times, we always see the best of the Australian character," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

Ms Allan earlier posted a video of herself returning to her undamaged home near Bendigo on Sunday after she was forced to flee the Harcourt fire.

Smoke haze from the fires spread to inland NSW and parts of New Zealand, with weather bureau senior meteorologist Dean Narramore saying it could linger across Victoria for days.

The Northern Territory government overnight deployed a strike team of 22 firefighters, an incident management team of 11 members and a liaison officer to help battle Victoria's bushfires.

South Australia had also sent about 150 firefighters and incident management staff to help.

Paddocks in Victoria's north were littered with the remains of animals and livestock that failed to outrun the roaring Longwood blaze on Friday.

Ruffy Country Fire Authority captain George Noye told AAP half of the small town's residents had lost either their homes or a structure, including the local primary school which was destroyed.